From the RN+R: School lockdowns so far this year

From the editor’s desk

A month after the Carson City School District implemented its ban on cell phone use, two Reno parents (who are also teachers) shared their perspectives with the RN&R on kids carrying cell phones. (See “The case for phones in classrooms: As more and more school districts ban cell phones, some parents voice reasons to allow them.”)

While both agreed that cell phone use can be a major distraction in classrooms, ultimately, they want kids to be able to be in touch with their families during an emergency.

McQueen High School teacher Kim Cuevas described an atmosphere of fear and chaos in her classroom during a September lockdown, even though it turned out to be a false alarm.

Said Michelle Hammond, a parent and a former teacher: “People aren’t realizing that kids are getting secondary trauma just from watching … school shootings play out.”

In the article, I mentioned that the RN&R had submitted a public records request in order to learn how many emergency incidents have occurred in Washoe County schools so far this school year. The district sent a list of lockdown and secured campus alerts on Tuesday, Oct. 1. (A “lockdown” is what the district formerly called a “code red,” and a “secured campus” was formerly called a “code yellow.”)

According to the district’s data, as of Oct. 1, there had been seven lockdowns so far this school year—three of them due to false alarms—and three secured campuses.

• On Sept. 24, Esther Bennett Elementary School was in a lockdown due to a weapon confiscated on campus. The report noted, “There is no active threat.”
• On Sept. 16, Silver Lake Elementary School was in a lockdown “due to an uncooperative person.”
• On Sept. 13, Sun Valley Elementary School was in a secured campus “due to police activity in the area.”
• On Sept. 5, Sparks Middle School and Risley Elementary School were in a lockdown “due to police activity in the area.”
• On Sept. 4, Dilworth Middle School was on a brief lockdown due to an accidental activation of the crisis alert system.
• On Aug. 26, Incline Elementary School was on a brief secured campus due to police activity in the area
• On Aug. 26, McQueen High School was on a brief lockdown due to an accidental activation of the crisis alert system.
• On Aug. 20, Traner Middle School was in a brief lockdown due to an accidental activation of the crisis alert alarm. 
• On Aug. 16, O’Brien Middle School and Stead Elementary School were in a lockdown due to police activity in the vicinity, which was determined to be unrelated to the school.
• On Aug. 15, Turning Point was in a secured campus due to a student disturbance.

I mentioned in the October article that KTVN Channel 2 news had reported “almost a dozen non-planned emergency activations” by Sept. 6. According to the district data we received this week, the list of “almost a dozen” appears to have included evacuations and closures due to the Davis Fire, in addition to the 10 lockdowns and secured campuses.

Take care,

—Kris Vagner, managing editor